Secretary admits thefts from boss

A secretary at a Hackensack law firm pleaded guilty Friday to stealing more than $53,000 from a solo practitioner who had employed her for 26 years.

Roxanne Elliott, 52, of Hackensack admitted in state Superior Court in Hackensack that between Dec. 14, 2010, and June 13, 2011, she issued several checks from the account of attorney John Weichsel by forging his signature.

An investigation found that Elliott accessed Weichsel's account by forging signatures on checks and issuing checks made payable to herself, according to a news release from the state Attorney General's Office, which brought the charges against Elliott.

Weichsel, a general practice attorney who mostly handles criminal cases, said Friday that he was contacted by Elliott's bank in June 2011 and was informed that Elliott had deposited $48,000 in her account.

He said he then contacted his own bank immediately and found that Elliott had written several checks in the preceding months.

Elliott pleaded guilty to a charge of theft by deception. She faces up to a year in jail and an additional time of probation when she is sentenced March 22.

She also must pay $53,830 in restitution as part of the plea deal.

"I think justice has been done," said Weichsel, who was briefly at a loss of words when asked about how he felt. "This is someone I trusted. She worked for me for 26 years."

Elliott's attorney, Gregory Aprile, said he will ask for a probationary sentence with no jail term for his client.

"She recognizes what she did, and she is very contrite about what happened," Aprile said. "And she has a great background otherwise."